On my Soapbox

It seems that I can't get God out of my head right now. I'm far from being terribly righteous but I don't think I get a choice on this one!
It started with watching The Abbey, a TV show about a group of women who live for 33 days with an enclosed order of nuns.
Then I heard Ben Elton on radio discussing some of his ideas on life, including God.
Next I picked up a second hand copy of Dante's Inferno, sometimes called the fifth gospel. (after Matthew, Mark, Luke & John)
After that a doco called "the Miracles of Jesus".
Last was the Compass special where leaders from different faiths (two Archbishops, one Mufti, one Rabbi and an Atheist Historian/Anthropologist) put forward their ideas on how their faithful should vote in the forthcoming Federal election. There were no direct recommendations, but a checklist of things to consider.

There's no way I can pull it all together for one post, possibly no way I can pull it together ever, but over the next little while I might have a look at some of the ideas I'm thinking about.

The one I'll start with came from the atheist. (Inga Clendinnen) She sees a need to return to an ethos of "moral frugality". Thankyou Inga.

There has already been a lot written about this and I can't imagine how I can add to the debate but I would like to pose some questions:
Why does it take an atheist to draw attention to our overly consumeristic habits?
Where is the church on this? and why have I read about this subject in the light and ultimately meaningless fashion columns but never heard it discussed as a matter of Christian faith?
Does the church's teaching on stewardship spell it out enough?

Can I consume less?

It is a difficult area and there can be no hard and fast rules on acceptable consumption but we all have an obligation to be careful about consuming. It is not only an economic issue but an ethical one and people of faith need to be leaders on this or risk being hypocritical. Change starts with mindfulness.

OOLF: I'm off to the mall to buy something useless and take my mind off my woes :)